This week I’m excited to introduce you to Stephanie Duncan of Once Upon a Fairy Tale. Take one look at her products and you’ll see that they truly do help celebrate life’s little moments!

From tutus to photo frames and so much more she’s got everything to make someone feel like a princess. Read on to learn more about Stephanie and her business.

1) Tell us a little bit about your business and how it got started.

I am the creator of Once Upon a Fairy Tale! We specialize in handmade tutus, accessories, and custom gifts celebrating life’s little moments. From baby showers, new baby photos, 1st birthday and smash cake photos; to birthday celebrations, wedding day flower girls, and more! Childhood milestones are precious and deserve to be celebrated!

Some of my fondest memories of myself as a child are of dressing up in my most glamorous dresses and my great grandmothers jewelry as I twirled around my bedroom completely carefree. Those ruffles and sparkles that I loved so much as a child lead me down my path of which included clothing, jewelry, and fashion accessories throughout the various milestones in my career path.

I’m and MBA and also have a degree (B.A.) in Textiles and Apparel and more than 15 years experience in children’s accessories. My background includes various outlets of retail, merchandise buying and design, and now my own love and creation, Once Upon a Fairy Tale. This is where I have the opportunity to explore all elements of my creativity and passion and share them with others!

The inspiration for my fairy tale tutus, tees, and accessories comes from little minds with big dreams and imaginations. Every child wants to feel special and I make that happen with every thought out detail that not only creates an adorable look, but evokes their emotions. Though I strive to make Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, and Friend happy with their purchase; nothing makes me happier than when the child lights up with excitement because she is a Princess and that is my ultimate motivation!

2) What is your favorite part of owning a handmade business?

I love the creative freedom that comes with owning my handmade business. I have been able to take what inspires me and create something beautiful of my own vision and tell my story through my product lines.

There’s nothing more exciting than seeing the reaction of my audience when I enter a new market or launch a new product line. I have loved watching my business evolve over the years and cannot wait to see what the future holds.

3) What is something you’ve learned during your handmade journey that you’d like to share to help or inspire others?

Stay true to who you are and what you want your business to be. No matter how much we would like, we cannot be everything to everybody all the time. It’s best to remain focused on your vision and with a lot of hard work and persistence, your audience will follow. It’s ok to test new products, but keeping a focused product line is key to building a strong foundation for the future of the business.

Above all, you have to be ready to work hard to achieve success. There’s a lot more to owning a handmade business than making some great products, taking some pictures, and listing them. I now realize the work involved in owning and operating a handmade web business and I’ve never been more excited or determined to make my business succeed than I am today.

Handmade Journey Academy (HJA) has been amazing! In terms of my web business platform, I wasn’t on the map until I found HJA. Jami has provided many tools to to not only develop my Etsy shop, but also the whole process behind the scenes helping me to get and stay organized and efficient. I could go on all day about the overabundance of information, courses, resources, tutorials, etc that are provided.

What makes this group different from all of the others I have joined and left behind me is the support system. The positive energy and support among members on a daily basis has motivated me on more than one occasion to keep going. I am so happy I found HJA a few months ago. I have seen a lot of great results so far and though I know I have a long journey ahead of me, I’m having a blast!

5) What are your future goals for your business?

For the past 8 years, I have spent much of my time showcasing my designs at some of the most sought out Craft Fairs locally. I have had the opportunity to meet some really great people along the way and look forward to expanding and developing more relationships through Etsy and other platforms going forward.

It is my ultimate goal to have my own website in the near future and I would love to eventually see my designs in a brick and store front setting. Who knows? Maybe one day I will have my own brick and mortar boutique!